Bangladesh Leader Resigns, Flees Country Amid Protests

Thousands of opposition members were jailed ahead of the January reelection of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, and protests recently turned deadly.
Bangladesh Leader Resigns, Flees Country Amid Protests
Students clash with riot police during a protest against a quota system for government jobs, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 18, 2024. Rajib Dhar/AP Photo
Ryan Morgan
Updated:
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Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed resigned and fled the country on Aug. 5, according to the country’s top military officer. The move came after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs descended into violence.

Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, the chief of Bangladesh’s Army Staff and the country’s top military official, announced Hasina’s resignation in a televised news conference.